The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court which have the right and ability to call
both men and women to the Bar of England and Wales.1 By the end of the 17th century, the qualifications for being called to the Bar were
changed, at this point it mostly depended on personal recommendations from the Judge.
By the 1840s little further had developed except that taking the Sacrament was no
longer mandatory.2
In 1846, the Inn urged that the students who would attend the inn ought to receive a comprehensive legal education and that there should be uniformity of practice of Call to the Bar. This decision was a large development for Gray's Inn and by 1852 the Council of Legal Education was established.3 Today, Gray's Inn is well-renowned with many individuals wanting to join due to its
community-like nature; additionally, that it is mandatory to be a member of one of
the Inns in order to practice law in England.